Elphie's Hat
by woodland59
Summary: CO-AUTHORED BY ELPHABALOVER101! What if Glinda went back to visit her friend's grave and saw it was gone? I mean, no one would touch the Witch's hat. Everyone knows it's cursed. So just who, exactly, took it? T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, this story is co-authored by Elphabalover101 and I, but we're just using my account to write it. So, has anyone noticed how in the end, Fiyero takes Elphaba's hat and put it on her head? You know, what if Glinda went back to the Kiamo Ko and discovered it gone? Hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

Chapter 1: It's Missing

After the death of her best friend, Elphaba, things hadn't been the same since. She often found herself lying in bed at night, staring emptily and thinking of her best friend. She could remember those last few hours, as the Witch Hunters made their way up to the castle, where she and Elphaba exchanged the last few words, and Elphaba gave her the Grimmerie.

She still hadn't been able to make any sense of the Spellbook. She'd tried, oh, heavens yes, Glinda wasn't one to break a promise, but it was simply impossible. The writing was not only strange, but it seemed to blur itself before her eyes. She wondered how in Oz Elphaba had been able to, but she supposed that question had already been answered. Elphaba was a child of both worlds.

Yes, her friend was the daughter of the not-so-Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who had recently departed upon Glinda's own demands. With Elphaba's mixed blood, it seemed to have implanted magic inside of her, giving her absolutely incredible power that was incredibly difficult to control. She shuddered upon remembering the horrid outbursts her friend had had in their days at Shiz.

Everything had been so much simpler back then. Glinda reached up and wiped a tear from her eye, causing the person—or rather, half-person, she supposed—to look at her with a look of confusion and concern. "Miss Glinda, are you all right?" the Tinman sat across from her, looking at her curiously.

"Oh…I'm—I'm all right…please…just—Wait…Miss Glinda?" She slowed, staring into blue eyes—the only part of him that _wasn't_ tin—curiously. "No one's called me that since…since…"

"Since Shiz?" the Tinman said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Y-Yes," she said, staring at him. "How did you know?"

"Glinda, don't you recognize me?" a hint of bitterness entered his tone. "Of course you don't. You never paid that much attention to me. You set me up with the first girl you could find that could take me, and that ended up disastrous for both of us," he spat.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Glinda asked fearfully.

"Ozdamnit, don't you remember?!" he leapt to his feet now, blue eyes full of rage. He cruelly mimicked his younger self, "Miss Galinda, I may be a mere Munchkin, but even a Munchkin has feelings. And I've tried to express mine for you, but it feels like you don't even know who I am."

"Oh my Oz!" now Glinda had leapt to her feet, shock and horror in her cerulean eyes. "Bick!"

"IT'S _BOQ!" _the former Munchkin thundered. "You really want to know what happened? Elphaba cast a spell on me as her Wicked self and transformed me into _this_! A creature without a heart, a creature not even human."

"Oh, Bick," Glinda put a hand on his tin shoulder, genuine sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, but you know Elphie wouldn't do that…"

"What would you know?" he snapped, jerking away from her touch. "You weren't there. You were too busy with _Fiyero_, who eventually got so sick of you he up and left himself for Elphaba and got himself killed in the process!"

Tears sparkled in Glinda's eyes at the memory of her former fiancée being dragged to the field, tied up, and beaten to death. "I don't know what I saw in you, Glinda Upland." Boq glared, and paused before he left the room, "You're a miserable excuse for a human being." And then he left.

Glinda dashed off to her room and crumpled into her bed in a pile of sobs, messing up her makeup, no doubt. And what Boq said was so true. She was a miserable excuse for a human being. Nessa was gone because of her, so many Animals' lives had been lost or beaten into submission because of her, Fiyero was dead and what had been just as bad was trapping him in a loveless relationship. And worst of all…Elphie. Elphaba. The only friend of hers that mattered.

Glinda hadn't been to her friend's…melting…site since last week. She'd been too scared to see what she'd seen…and she'd left her hat there. At least she'd have something to remember her friend by, as the Wizard had taken that little green bottle back…

…

Glinda had announce she had 'important business' to attend to and bubbled off to Kiamo Ko. She hoped she'd be able to handle seeing the site of her friend's death. Once she reached the castle, she took a deep breath and opened the unlocked door. The guards Elphaba had had control over had all left, after all, they'd been only served her because they'd been forced as she was a member of the royal family (she and Fiyero had married themselves in the forest).

Glinda scurried hurriedly throughout the palace. The dark, gloomy castle had always given her the creeps, but naturally, Elphaba had loved it. A small smile crossed Glinda's face. Typical Elphie.

As she approached the site of her friend's…death…Glinda took a deep breath and entered the room, preparing herself for what she was about to see.

What she saw shocked her beyond measure. Elphaba's hat was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Glinda was completely shock to see the hat was gone. But where could it have gone? The hat of The Wicked Witch of the West was rumored to be cursed, so nobody dared to touch it for fear that it might cause the ghost of the wicked witch to haunt them, or even possibly turn green themselves. There were several other rumors about what might happen if you touch the hat, but these were just some of them.

Of course, Glinda knew the hat she had given her friend all those years ago wasn't cursed, but what was the point in telling the Ozians there was no curse? At least the curse made sure nobody touched the hat. Well, until now, at least.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Glinda called to no one in particular. She searched the room, hoping to find whoever had taken Elphaba's hat, but there was nobody there. So many thoughts rushed threw Glinda's head. What in Oz was going on? Was it possible the hat really was cursed and that it disappeared awhile after Elphaba's death? Could it still be possible someone had stolen it?

Whatever the reason, Glinda needed answers. But before doing anything else, Glinda silently kneeled down next to the spot where Elphaba had melted. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the pink flower clip she had given to her friend the day they became friends, and gently placed it on the floor in front of her. She had forgotten to bring real flowers for Elphaba's grave, so the little flower clip was the next best thing. Besides, it would probably mean more to Elphaba then anything else, because it was a sign of their friendship.

"I'm sorry Elphie. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Please forgive me!" The blonde broke down in tears. So far she had been able to keep all of her emotions in, but sitting here where her best friend had 'melted' was just too much for her. She stayed there for at least an hour, crying at Elphaba's grave. She wanted to stay in that spot forever, but she knew she had to get back to the Emerald City. Elphaba trusted her to make good, so that's what she would do.

She got up to leave, but realized she still wanted something of Elphaba's to remember her by besides the Grimmerie. So she silently made her way to Elphaba's room. She was sure Elphaba wouldn't mind her taking anything. Glinda hesitated before reaching forward and pushing the door open. She stepped into the room and gazed around at all of Elphaba's possesions. There wasn't much since Elphaba couldn't really carry much around during her years on the run, but that didn't matter. Every item in this room held some value to her best friend.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on a tiny piece of paper on the night stand. Glinda walked over and took the note, holding it so she could read what it said.

Dear Glinda,  
>If you are reading this note now, I would like you to know that I've left all my possessions for you. I knew you would want something to remember me by, and I can think of no better person to keep my things safe then you. I know you're sad about my death, but I don't want you to cry for me. You must remember that I have not left you. I will always be with you, no matter what. Goodbye, Glinda. I'm glad to have had a friend like you.<br>Your friend,  
>Elphaba<p>

This made Glinda wanna start crying again, but she had to stay strong. After all, that's what Elphaba had asked of her. "Thank you, Elphie." Glinda whispered, smiling weakly. She neatly folded the note before tucking the piece of paper into her pocket.

The first thing Glinda found was the bag Elphaba had been carrying the day she first defied the Wizard. Sure, it was just a plain bag, but it held so many memories. Just touching it made Glinda feel as if Elphaba was standing there next to her. Glinda carefully walked around the room, placing all of Elphaba's possessions inside. Elphaba not owning many things made this easy. All Elphaba really kept was a photo album, a diary, and a necklace that had belonged to her mother. There were a few other things, but the Wizard had the green bottle, her hat was gone, and Glinda already had the Grimmerie.

Glinda's last stop was the closet. She opened the closet door to find a single black dress. It looked a lot like the dress Elphaba usually wore. Glinda had expected Elphaba to have more then one of the dress so she wouldn't have to wear the same dress every day. She reached into the closet and gently took the dress of the hanger. Glinda never wore black, but this was different. This dress had belonged to her best friend. Wearing the dress was the absolute least thing she could do.

She she took her Blue bubble dress off and slipped Elphaba's black dress over her head. Glinda glanced into the mirror, and she was surprised to find that she didn't look half bad in black. But that didn't matter. This wasn't about fashion and how she looked. This was about remembering her best friend. Suddenly, she noticed something about the dress. Something different. Over where her heart was, there was a small, green heart gem with a tiny hand print imprinted on it. You'll be with me, like a hand print on my heart. Glinda remembered Elphaba's words to her a few minutes before she had melted.

Glinda could feel tears once again welling up in her eyes. She didn't deserve a friend as good as Elphaba. She was even more happy to find that the small heart pin was detachable, so that she could take it off Elphaba's dress and attach it to any outfit she happened to be wearing at that time.

After spending a few more minutes in Elphaba's room, she took Elphaba's bag into her arms again and walked outside. After walkiing out of Kiamo Ko, she turned around for one last goodbye. "Goodbye, Elphie." Glinda whispered, before once again creating a bubble and heading back to the Emerald City.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

No matter how hard she tried, Glinda just couldn't get that hat off her mind. She tossed and turned in her pink, frilly bed at night, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get comfortable. It was that hat. Oh, Oz, that_ hat._ Where could it have gone? After all, hats didn't just get up and walk away, did they?

Glinda sighed and sat up in bed, turning on the light. "Oz, Elphie," she moaned, putting her face in her hands. "I miss you." A few tears rolled down her cheeks. She stopped immediately and went to check in the mirror to see if it'd ruined her face at all.

At night, her curly hair was straight, and her make-up was gone, making her look more…natural. She wore a pink nightgown, naturally. She studied her face. Nope. No tears marks. Phew. She sighed to herself. She'd tried every method she could remember, and nothing had worked.

She supposed she might as well busy herself with one of Elphaba's old books. She rummaged through the pile of her friend's old things until she found an interesting-looking book…short enough for a child around their teens to read. How odd. Elphaba normally read adult books.

Glinda took the book to her bed and blew dust off the cover. She coughed a bit and blinked her eyes as the dust clouded around her and threatened to go up her windpipe. Luckily she held her breath. Once the cloud had cleared, she could read the title of the old, but used paperback book. It read, _Warriors: Book 1: Into the Wild. By Erin Hunter._

Interested, Glinda turned the page and began to read. It began with the allegiances, cats with strange names, such as Bluestar, Redtail, Dustpaw…But once she turned to the Prologue, Glinda was intrigued.

_A half-moon glowed on smooth granite boulders, turning them silver, _Glinda read. Interesting.

She finished the prologue about five minutes later and started on the first chapter, _It was very dark, _Glinda read, and snorted. Interesting way to start off a chapter. Nevertheless, she continued reading…and as she read, the book got more interesting. Once she'd finished the first chapter, she began to feel tired, but was so intrigued she had to read more. Stupid cliffhangers…

…

When Glinda woke up, the first thing she found was the book on her chest, on the same page as she'd left off last night. Only page 20. She'd barely gotten through the first page of the second chapter.

The sun filtered through the curtains, dappling onto Glinda's lithe form and making her golden hair glow even brighter. She stretched lazily and found a bookmark to put in the poor book, for she knew Elphaba wouldn't be pleased if Glinda just left it bended on its spine. Oz, that had been one of her pet peeves. She smiled fondly at the thought of her best friend. It was all so bittersweet.

There was a knocking at the door. "Yes?" Glinda called.

"M'lady, there's someone hear to see you," said the servant, a thirteen-year-old named Gianna, one of Glinda's favorites. She reminded her of Elphaba.

"Send them in, as long as they don't mind I'm getting ready while doing so," Glinda called, hastily beginning to apply blush to her cheeks.

"Um…okay," she could hear a bit of confusion in Gianna's voice, but Glinda shrugged it off. She knew it wasn't typical for one to be in her presence while in her room, but she was already behind from sleeping late; she might as well get this meeting done with.

Glinda saw the person first in the mirror, and immediately her heart sank. It was Boq. "Miss Glinda," he said respectfully, obviously ashamed from their argument just yesterday.

"Bick," she responded curtly, applying mascara to her lashes.

"It's BOQ!" he yelled, startling her and making her drop the mascara. She turned around to stare at him, shocked. "Sorry," he said quietly, staring at the ground. "It's Boq."

Glinda stared at him before letting out a sigh and running her fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bi—Boq." There was a sudden silence in the room, and a growing embarrassed heat between the two. Glinda leaned down and picked up the mascara before hesitantly continuing to put it on. "Please, have a seat." She gestured to one of the armchairs.

Boq obliged silently and sat down, tin body making a strange clanking sound. His eyes wandered around her room, staring at her unmade bed, her things, her photographs...just observing.

Glinda allowed herself to concentrate on curling her hair. She could trust Boq, after all…couldn't she? After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up.

"I didn't know you read," he was holding up Elphaba's book.

"Give that back!" Glinda cried, snatching the book from his hands and staring down at it to see if his heavy tin hands had ripped any of the pages.

Boq was staring down at the book with an icy glare in his tin eyes. "I've seen that book before…" he said slowly.

Glinda's heart began to beat rapidly. Had he discovered…?

"Elphaba had it," he said, raising his now-cold blue eyes to meet Glinda's own fearful. "I saw her one day, reading that at Shiz."

"Wh-What?" Glinda stammered.

"But then I never saw it again…I assumed she took it with her," he said. "When she became the Wicked Witch. And…" he narrowed his eyes. "You went back to Kiamo Ko. You took her things."

"Y-You have no proof," Glinda stammered, and Boq snorted.

"Yeah. No proof," he gestured towards the trunk of Elphaba's things. "I know you don't wear black." He stood up and began to walk towards Glinda menacingly. "You know…I came here to see if you could change me back. But now I don't want to…now I want to chop that pretty little head off your neck," he had her pinned against the wall now. He seemed to enjoy seeing her panic, and started grinning madly. "Remember when you were taller than me? Remember when I was just 'a mere Munchkin'? You know what…" He stepped back. "I kinda like the new me. It works better than it ever did at Shiz. Am I muscular enough for you?" he snorted. "Handsome?"

_He's gone insane, _Glinda thought, horrified. The sweet, little boy from Shiz she'd once known was gone, and this horrendible tin woodsman was in his place. "B-Bick," she stammered slowly.

"OZDAMNIT, IT'S BOQ!" he yelled, striking her across the face. His tin hand brought her to the ground, and she whimpered, putting a hand to her face. Then he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "And do you really think that water has melted her?"

Glinda blinked up at him, surprised. "At first I believed it," Boq admitted, drawing back. "I was too relieved…blinded by own bliss to think that she was gone…but then I remembered thinking… 'I've seen her tons of times in the rain, and she never melted, not once'. So you know what I think, Miss Glinda?" he asked, staring down at her with cold eyes.

She stared back timidly, but this time a new wonder had filled her eyes. A spark of hope. "I think she faked her death. I don't think she melted."

"Wh-What?" Glinda gasped. "That's insane. Of course she m-melted. She didn't have anything left to live for, so she had Dorothy do it…she was so heart-broken over Fiyero, and Nessa, and Doctor Dillamond…" her voice trailed off.

Boq's tin features were hard and cold. "Maybe that's what she wanted you to think, to take pity on her…think about it, Miss Glinda. But until you agree with me, remember I know your secret. I can tell the whole land of Oz that you were friends with the Wicked Witch of the West. They'll believe me. I was a part of the group that tried to melt the Witch. I'll be watching, Glinda." Then he turned and left the room, and she could hear his tin feet clanking across the ground grow farther and farther away…

Could it be true? Could Elphaba have faked her death? Come to think of it…she remembered Elphaba showering and bathing…often. Every morning. She would've been melted into a puddle...so what if…what if Boq was right?

But Fiyero was dead. Elphaba had so herself. She recalled her friend's last words as she'd crumpled up the note, _"We've seen his face for the last time."_

_His face_… Elphaba hadn't specifically said he was dead! She was a good actress, though…she'd made Glinda believe her. Then she remembered the hat. The hat. Could it be possible Elphaba and Fiyero were _alive?_


	4. Chapter 4

After the shocking discovery she had made earlier that morning, Glinda canceled the rest of her appointments for that day. Sure, she would be letting so many Ozians down, but this was much more important. Elphaba and Fiyero could quite possibly still be alive! Galinda just had to know the truth. What if Boq was right? It certainly was a little farfetched for someone to melt in contact with water.

Glinda had seen Elphaba touch water a lot while they were friends, and never once did Elphaba show any sign of being allergic to it. What if it truly was all a lie? A hoax so Elphaba and Fiyero could escape? It certainly did make a lot of sense. Why else would Elphaba have just given up so easily?

Glinda had known Elphaba for a long time, and one thing she had learned was that Elphaba was incredibly stubborn and would never give up without a fight. That had always been something Glinda had admired in the green girl. This being true, Elphaba's sudden surrender was extremely uncharacteristic of her.

This was a matter that certainly needed to be looked into as soon as possible. So without even eating breakfast first, she began packing all of Elphaba's books (Including her diary) in her bag. Just as Glinda had gotten everything into the bag, a knock came from the door.

"Come in!" Glinda called. The door opened and she looked up at the girl standing at the door.

"Ah, Gianna! I was just about to come looking for you. I need you to come on a little trip with me for the day." Galinda explained, standing up and walking over the the 13-year old girl.

"Y-you want me to go on a trip with you?" Gianna asked, surprised at what Glinda had said. All she came to do was make Glinda's bed, but instead becomes Glinda's assistant for the day.

"Yes. I have some very important business to attend to in the west, and you are going to come with me to help. Now come on. We leave right away." The good witch explained, grabbing Gianna's hand and leading her outside before the young girl could protest.

"Wait! But what about my chores?" Gianna asked.

"Don't worry. If anyone questions why you weren't here today, I'll tell them I asked you to help me with something." Glinda replied, taking her wand out and twirling it to create one of her signature pink bubbles.

Gianna shrieked as the bubbled lifted them both into the air. "Y-your Goodness..."

"Oh, stop it with the formalities. Just call me Glinda." Glinda cut her off, no longer enjoying her fancy title. After all, the title 'Glinda the Good' was a lie. She was never as good as the Ozians said she was. Though she did wish to change that.

"Miss Glinda..." Glinda sighed, realizing Gianna wasn't gonna stop with the formalities. "I-i'm scared of heights." the 13-year old girl whispered, unable to pull her eyes away from the 100 foot drop to the ground.

"Sweet Oz, I'm so sorry! I should have told you we would be going by bubble! Don't worry, Gianna, you'll be fine. We're perfectly safe in here." Glinda immediately pulled Gianna into her arms, comforting the little girl.

Gianna stiffened, feeling Glinda's arms around her. It was unheard off for Her Goodness to ever touch someone of her status. Sure, Gianna liked the feeling of Glinda touching her, but it just wasn't proper.

"M-miss Glinda?" Gianna asked.

"Yes, dear?" Glinda asked looking down at the younger girl.

"D-do you mind not touching me...?"Gianna asked, starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the situation.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Gianna." Glinda quickly pulled away from Gianna. "I should have asked if it was alright before I hugged you. I once had a dear friend who didn't like being touched, either. I haven't seen her in awhile, though. In fact, Nobody thinks she's even alive anymore. That's why we're going on this trip. I wanna see if I can figure out whether she's alive or not." She explained.

"We're going to find your friend?" Gianna asked.

"Yes. Isn't this so exciting!?" Glinda squealed, getting super excited about possibly finding Elphaba again.

"I guess so. But why bring me? How could I possibly help you on your quest? And why not just tell the rest of Oz to help you find your friend, as well?" Gianna asked, confused as of Glinda's strange decisions.

"Because, my dear child, you're the only one I can trust. And the Ozians still have past events on their mind. You see, my friend wasn't exactly accepted by Oz. She was...different. I was the only friend she ever had. People just couldn't see past her differences, so they treated her like a monster. But maybe if I can bring my friend back, then I can convince the Ozians to accept her." Glinda explained.

"But Miss Glinda, who is your friend?" Gianna asked, even more confused than before.

"You'll find out soon enough, my dear. You'll find out."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The bubble finally landed at Kiamo Ko, and both Gianna and Glinda stepped out of it. Once they were on the ground, Gianna almost immediately collapsed.

"Are you all right?" Glinda asked in concern, worry sparking in her cerulean eyes.

"I-I'm fine." Quite frankly, Gianna looked a bit green in the face. When she stood, she immediately sat back down.

"Yeah, bubble can be hard to get used to," Glinda said, waiting for Gianna to regain her sense of balance. When she finally did, Glinda hurried inside the castle, beckoning for Gianna to follow her.

Gianna followed wordlessly, glancing from side to side occasionally. "Miss Glinda, what is this castle?"

"Umm...what was it called?" Glinda frowned in concentration, then she snapped her fingers as she realized. "Kiamo Ko!"

"Kiamo Ko?" Gianna stopped dead in her tracks. "Kiamo Ko is where the...Witch of the West...lived…"

Glinda nodded absently, "Mmmhmm."

"Why would your friend choose to live _here_?"

"You know, I really don't know. This place is so drab and cold and lonely. I guess that is a bit like her," Glinda said as they continued through the palace. Gianna said nothing, still trying to work this out.

When they finally reached the room Elphaba had melted in, Glinda said to Gianna, "Search for any trapdoors and such."

Gianna nodded, "Yes, Miss Glinda." Then the two began to search the room.

After a while, Glinda finally sighed and leaned against the wall, thinking the situation to be helpless. "Ouch!" she cried as something stabbed her. Suddenly, Gianna let out a scream as the floor collapsed from under her and she fell.

"Gianna!" Glinda cried, running over to check if she was all right. She peered down the hole and saw it wasn't all that far to fall. In fact, there was actually a ladder and a mattress that Gianna had fallen on

"I-I'm fine," Gianna said, a little overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Glinda hesitantly looked at the ladder before gripping the rungs and climbing down it.

She looked around. "Of course...she had it all planned...Of course she did. But Fiyero...when did he come in? _Is_ he even alive?"

As Glinda continued talking to herself, Gianna sat on the edge of the mattress and watched with slight disturbance. Glinda appeared to be insane.

"But where would she go? Oh, if only I'd studied geography more at Shiz...now I have to go find a map," Glinda muttered. Then, she spoke to Gianna, "All right, change of plans: we go back to the palace to get a map."

Gianna nodded, thankful to be leaving this place. Admittedly, it was a bit dark for her tastes. What kind of friend did Glinda have?

"Come, Gianna," Glinda beckoned and the two climbed out of trapdoor. Once they were on the balcony, Glinda conjured up a bubble and the two rode back to the Emerald City Palace.


End file.
